Apparatus for cleaning dishes prior to washing having means for separating tableware and garbage



May 25, 1954 R M CARSON 2,679,253

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING DISHES PRIOR TO WASHING HAVING MEANS FOR SEPARATING TABLEWARE AND GARBAGE Filed Feb. 7, 1949 Page M 60/50 BY I!) g hrrak/wsk Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT' OFFICE Russell Ml Carson,.Kansas City,

M. Carson and Ethel Hohl, both of Russell" Mo., assignor to Kansas City, Mo., trustees Application Februax-y 7, 1949; Serial No. 75,026

3 Claims;

This invention relates to table wanescrapping and salvaging machines. inthe nature of those disclosed. in United States Letters Patent. No. 2,400,879, issued May 28, 19.46, to T.. Hilliker; and the primary aim of this invention is to improve the machine disclosed said Letters Patent by providingequipment capable of separating table ware thatrnight accidentally be washed from dishes with. the garbage removed therefrom in a more efficient manner. and through the employment of less expensive ma.- chines than those heretofore utilized for. the purpose.

Another important. object of this inventionis to provide apparatus for cleaning dishes priorv to washing, which, apparatus has means for separating table ware from the garbage if such, table ware is accidentally flushed from-the. dishes being cleaned; which. apparatus. utilizes an uniquely-formed, table-like basin constituting the top thereof and into which the flushing water and garbage is emptied.

Yet further aims oflthe invention are to provide apparatus of the aforementioned character wherein the specia11yformed, tablerlilze basin forming'the top has an outlet port near the marginal edge of the basin thereof,'so disposed as" to cause. fluids and. entrained solids. passing.

therethrough to .be traveling in an upward direaction, all to accomplish the result .of separating relatively-heavy tableware directly inthe saidbasin through, the action of 'gravity;.' and wherein-the aforesaidoutlet port isprotected by a downwardly and inwardly-angled deflector lip to cooperate with the. port and-the remaining part'of the basin to preclude accidental escape of table ware, in the .event, any should be-washed into the basin from dishes being'treated.

Otheraims of the invention will appear duringthe courseof the following specification,- referring 'to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of apparatus-for cleaning dishes prior to washing having means for separating table wareand garbage, and embodying my invention Fig. 2 is a perspective View of. the basin. forming a part of the apparatusbut entirely removed from association withv the remaining elements of Fig sis asimilar elevationalviewof anotherside of the apparatus with portions of the mathe flowof hot and cold water maybe. regulatedand the temperature of water passing into.reser..

voir if) by pipe 1 4 determined, and maintained.

at the desired degree. It has been found-jthat. tepid water having .a temperature of substantially F. is most. desirable where garbage is washed and rewashed ,to remove fats therefrom. More will be hereinafter set forth with.

respect tothe advantageof using tepid water having the temperature just stated.

Overflow pipe 24 extending upwardly into reservoir it from the, bottom thereof terminates in an open end. substantially midway between.

the bottom and topv of tank It. This overflow pipe 24 is connected to a drain or another conduit 25 leading through a rease trap and thence to a drain. The grease trap need. not be illustrated, for they are well-known in the art and quite conventional. As water passes through these grease traps, the entrained grease and'oils areremoved therefrom,- and the water freeof grease passes into the drain.

A fluid feed pipe 23 extending upwardly along one side of reservoir lfi'terminates'as shown in' Fig; 4 and, when water is pumped upwardly through. this said pipe 28, .itwillpass througha path of travel illustrated by the 11111116131330."

This'fluid feed pipe is in communication with a pump 32 which, in turn, is driven byan electric motor 34 mounted upon reservoir I i), as shown in Fig. 3.

Pump 32 communicates directly with the. interior of reservoir 1i and water fromthe reservoir is withdrawn by pump 32 .andforced upwardly throughfiuid pipe 28 to assume anarcuate path of travel convenient for. the operator when dishes arebeing. cleaned. by the force. of the vat of water 30.

Basin [2 closes the open end of reservoir l9,

Reservoir ID has and this basin is of special and important form. Its marginal, annular flange 35 is provided with openings 38 in register with similar openings in outturned flange 40 on reservoir l6; and bolts or analogous fastening elements 52 pass through the registered openings to maintain the reservoir ID in an operative position.

An opening 44 through basin [2 accommodates the slightly arched end 46 of pipe 28 when the basin i2 is in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. Basin 12 is concave to afford a cavity 48 into which water from pipe 28 is directed after it strikes the dishes being treated to remove garbage therefrom.

The stream of fluid 39 emanating from pipe 28 and created by the force of pump 32 falls upon the inner face of basin l2 at a point to one side of the vertical axis of the basin; and the impingement of the stream of water upon the curved surface of the basin within cavity 48 establishes a force sufiicient to carry particles of garbage and waste foods upwardly through outlet port 56 formed through the bottom of basin l2 to one side of its center. This outlet port is rectilinear in longitudinal shape and comparatively narrow, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

The port is overhung by a deflector lip 52, the upper surface whereof is disposed at an angle; and this deflector lip 52 precludes the accidental passage of any solids through port as. In fact, solids cannot pass through this port 59 without the assistance of the fluid 33 passing through a path illustrated in Fig. 4-.

The depth of cavity 68 formed by basin 1? is suflicient to retain any silverware that ma accidentally be carried into the basin when the garbage is washed from table ware and, as the operator manipulates the dishes, any silverware remaining in basin 12 may be lifted therefrom periodically and at convenient times. Thus, assurance is always present that accidentallydropped silverware will not pass to a point where the same may not be quickly recovered and returned to use.

A forarninous basket 54 is hung within reservoir Id to one side of feed pipe 28 and overflow pipe 24. This basket is hung upon an annular shoulder 55 within reservoir is and may be lifted from the reservoir after basin i2 has been taken from its normal position. This basket catches particles of garbage of a size greater than might pass through the openings in the mesh from which the basket is formed.

During the operation of the apparatus above described and shown in the accompanying drawing, ware from the table such as plates and other dishes that are to be washed, and which carry waste food, are passed beneath the stream of water 30 which is not in the nature of a spray but is a compacted, arcuate column capable of flushing garbage from the table ware being treated.

When the column of water 36 stikes the inner arcuate face of basin l2 to one side of the axis of the cavity 48, a force toward outlet port 58 is exerted and particles of garbage are entrained within the escaping water by floatation or otherwise and motivated through the outlet port to a position within basket 54. The water escapes from overflow pipe 24 when the level thereof reaches the open end of said pipe, and the speed with which the water passes out through overflow pipe 24 is obviously governed by the amount of make up water or fresh water that is introduced into reservoir it) through pipe [4.

In practice, from 1 to 1% gallons of water should escape from reservoir l0 through overflow pipe 24 when the thermal condition of the water introduced is such as to maintain a temperature of F., throughout the mass of water within reservoir 19 and, obviously, that which is being pumped through pipe 28 to create the column 30. Such method of manipulating the apparatus will result in an eflicient recovery of fats, particularly because all of the garbage will be washed clean and freed of its fatty content, resulting in the elimination of objectionable odors.

The position of deflector lip 52 and outlet port 50, with respect to the arcuate column of water 30, is as clearly shown in Fig. 4; and such disposition is important, because of the resulting advantageous function due to the placement of parts as above specified.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that garbage and table ware accidentally washed from dishes will be effectively separated within basin l2 without the employment of any other part. Garbage substantially free from fats will be collected in basket 54, where the temperature and volume of the water passing through the machine is maintained as aforesaid; and, because of such novel features, the apparatus illustrated is capable of producing better results than have heretofore been accomplished by machines with a larger number of parts and more complicated mechanisms.

Obviously, apparatus having physical characteristics different from those illustrated and described might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dish cleaning and tableware salvaging machine, the combination of an open top liquid basin having an arcuate, horizontal, uppermost edge and an elongated deflector plate mounted within the basin on one side of the vertical axis of the basin and having a transverse axis extending inwardly and downwardly from a horizontal plane coincident with said edge, said deflector plate having a lowermost horizontal edge between said plane and the bottom of the basin, that part of the basin below said deflector plate and above a horizontal plane through said lowermost edge of the deflector plate being entirely cut away, presenting an elongated overflow edge in the basin; and a liquid feed pipe having an outlet end disposed at an angle upwardly and inwardly toward the basin to direct liquid thereinto and on that side of the vertical axis of the basin opposite to the deflector plate, said basin comprising a segment of a hollow sphere whereby to develop a liquid current in the basin directed upwardly and outwardly therefrom toward and over said overflow edge.

2. In a dish cleaning and tableware salvaging machine, the combination of an open top liquid basin having an arcuate, horizontal, uppermost edge and an elongated deflector plate mounted within the basin on one side of the vertical axis of the basin and having a transverse axis extending inwardly and downwardly from a horizontal plane coincident with said edge, said deflector plate having a lowermost horizontal edge between said plane and the bottom of the basin, that part of the basin below said deflector plate and above a horizontal plane through said lowermost edge of the deflector plate being entirely cut away, presenting an elongated overflow edge in the basin; and a liquid feed pipe having an outlet end disposed at an angle upwardly and inwardly toward the basin to direct liquid thereinto and on that side of the vertical of the basin opposite to the deflector plate, said basin comprising a segment of a hollow sphere whereby to develop a liquid current in the basin directed upwardly and outwardly therefrom toward and over said overflow edge, said overflow edge being longitudinally arouate and within said plane through the lowermost edge of the deflector plate, whereby all garbage floating in the liquid with the basin will readily pass over said overflow edge as heavier articles such as silverware settle to the bottom of the basin.

3. In a dish cleaning and tableware salvaging machine, the combination of an open top liquid basin having an arcuate, horizontal, uppermost edge and an elongated deflector plate mounted within the basin on one side of the vertical axis of the basin and having a transverse axis extending inwardly and downwardly from a horizontal plane coincident with said edge, said deflector plate having a lowermost horizontal edge between said plane and the bottom of the basin, that part of the basin below said deflector plate and above a horizontal plane through said lowermost edge of the deflector plate being entirely cut away, presenting an elongated overflow edge in the basin; and a liquid feed pipe having an outlet end disposed at an angle upwardly and inwardly toward the basin to direct liquid thereinto and on that side of the vertical axis of the basin opposite to the deflector plate, said basin comprising a segment of a hollow sphere whereby to develop a liquid current in the basin directed upwardly and outwardly therefrom toward and over said overflow edge; and a flat, horizontal shelf connecting the deflector plate at the uppermost edge of the latter with said arouate edge of the basin, said pipe extending through said shelf.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 440,211 Weeden Nov. 11, 1890 761,730 Tucker June 7, 1904 1,722,456 Cranmore July 30, 1929 2,099,061 Gordon Nov. 16, 1937 2,400,879 Hilliker May 28, 1946 2,421,064 I-Iilliker May 27, 1947 2,473,007 Carson June 14, 1949 2,562,025 Ericson July 24, 1951 

